San Jose Police Chief Eddie Garcia will be joined by Mayor Sam Liccardo and members of the San Jose City Council to celebrate the launch of San Jose Police Academy Class 30 which boasts 54 new recruits. This class size is tied with an academy in 2013 as the largest since 2007.

On Friday, June 16, 2017, SJPD Academy Class 30 will begin with 54 new recruits. The 6-month long academy is the first step in preparing prospective officers, and includes a mix of classes and physical training. Following the academy, recruits enter a 16-week Field Training Program, where they work alongside a veteran officer. Upon completing the field training program, officers are considered “street ready” and begin their regular assignment.

Chief Eddie Garcia said, “This is a momentous occasion. The starting of this academy is both symbolic and tangible. It is symbolic because it truly represents this Departments re-birth. It is tangible because we now have approximately 110 officers or future officers in the training process. These additions and the trajectory of our recruiting will enable us to provide better service delivery to our residents. What cannot be lost is what this also means to our current rank and file, officers that have sacrificed so much for this community in years of crisis. To them I would say, ‘Thank you for answering the call to serve in dark times, but help is on the way.’ ”

San Jose POA President Paul Kelly said, “The size of this academy validates our collective efforts to restore our police department to try and keep our neighborhoods safe. It has been a long slog and there is still much work to be done, but after years of strife, our department is headed in the right direction.”

Mayor Sam Liccardo said, “The start of today's 54-person academy highlights the great progress we're making on improving public safety in San Jose and providing our residents with the level of service they deserve. Our collective efforts to restore staffing, morale and trust has enabled a great department to thrive again. I’d like to thank all of these new recruits for answering the call to serve our community and to keep our neighborhoods safe.”

With the start of this new academy, the San Jose Police Department now has over 100 new officers in the training process:

Academy Class 28: 27 recruits are currently in the 16-week field training program

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